Friends of the IDF supporters to cycle across Israel

Supporters of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) are gearing up for an intense six-day bicycle ride this month from the Lebanese border to Jerusalem.

The ride, which begins on October 13, will see 32 participants from the United States cycle more than 400 km. over a combined vertical climb of some 6,700 meters.

Joining the ride will be a group of wounded Israeli combat veterans, some with prosthetic devices, who have benefited from FIDF rehabilitative programs.

Riders will start along Israel’s border with Lebanon, where they will bike through the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights before heading south to the Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert. From there they will head north to finish in Jerusalem.

Along the way participants will visit national landmarks, ancient historical sites and IDF bases, where they will interact with active-duty lone soldiers, as well as with combat veterans who participated in the FIDF “IMPACT!” scholarship program.

“Biking across Israel together with wounded veterans will help participants to really understand the impact FIDF has on the lives of the brave men and women who benefit from FIDF programs,” said FIDF Midwest executive director Tamir Oppenheim. “This cycling tour is an incredible opportunity to bring FIDF supporters together with Israeli soldiers.”

FIDF was established by a group of Holocaust survivors in 1981, as a not-for-profit organization with the mission of offering educational, cultural, recreational and social programs and facilities to provide hope, purpose and life-changing support for soldiers in Israel.

Today, FIDF has more than 150,000 supporters and 20 chapters throughout the US and Panama.

FIDF supports IDF soldiers, families of fallen soldiers and wounded veterans through a variety of innovative programs that reinforce the bond between communities in the US, IDF soldiers and the State of Israel.